Rvssian

Jamaican genre-crossing producer and vocalist Rvssian makes tracks designed for maximum club appeal, often blurring the lines between reggaeton, dancehall, and R&B. He first rose to acclaim working closely with dancehall superstar <a href="spotify:artist:2NUz5P42WqkxilbI8ocN76">Vybz Kartel</a>. Beginning with the 2010 song "Life Sweet," Rvssian and <a href="spotify:artist:2NUz5P42WqkxilbI8ocN76">Kartel</a> worked together on a string of hits, opening the door for Rvssian's production work to find a voice on songs by <a href="spotify:artist:5EvFsr3kj42KNv97ZEnqij">Shaggy</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3Isy6kedDrgPYoTS1dazA9">Sean Paul</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4q3ewBCX7sLwd24euuV69X">Bad Bunny</a>, and many other big names of dancehall, reggaeton, Latin rap, trap, and other intersecting genres. As founder of the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Head+Concussion+Records%22">Head Concussion Records</a> label, Rvssian released multiple singles for <a href="spotify:artist:2NUz5P42WqkxilbI8ocN76">Kartel</a> as well as fostering new talent with artists like <a href="spotify:artist:6rgMAmoutpto9ded7xYd20">J Capri</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0af5VM6xubf8EXKvoG35x6">Demarco</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:7hDd2AjcdR7Pg84vR1ElJ7">Blak Ryno</a>. Rvssian's production credits grew to include work with <a href="spotify:artist:4MCBfE4596Uoi2O4DtmEMz">Juice WRLD</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4kYSro6naA4h99UJvo89HB">Cardi B</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:7yGQgQiiKpg2k00JXf8hJk">Carlos Santana</a>, and he continued to steadily release tracks of his own like 2021's wildly popular "Nostalgico" and 2024's "Santa."

Born in Kingston, Jamaica as Tarik Johnston, Rvssian grew up studying piano and drums and collecting dancehall and hip-hop cassettes. Interest in production took over around the time he finished high school, and the young beatmaker put off college, promising himself he would return to school if he didn't have success in music after giving it his all for a year. Things immediately took off for Rvssian, who received moderate interest from his first track, "Liberty Riddim," which materialized in 2008. It was 2010's "Life Sweet" featuring <a href="spotify:artist:2NUz5P42WqkxilbI8ocN76">Vybz Kartel</a> that became a huge hit, and the floodgates opened from there.

Up until that point, Johnston was going under the moniker "RUSSIAN," but he modified his artist name to "Rvssian" so it would be easier to search for online. He continued a string of successful singles with <a href="spotify:artist:2NUz5P42WqkxilbI8ocN76">Vybz Kartel</a>, slowing down only somewhat when <a href="spotify:artist:2NUz5P42WqkxilbI8ocN76">Kartel</a> was arrested in 2011 and sentenced to life in prison in 2014 for the murder of Clive Williams, in what was at that point the longest trial in Jamaican history. Rvssian issued a series of new songs with <a href="spotify:artist:2NUz5P42WqkxilbI8ocN76">Kartel</a> both while he was awaiting sentencing and after he was locked up, including "Hi" in 2013 and "Kremlin" in 2017. During this time Rvssian also relocated to outside of Miami, letting the city's bass-heavy sounds sink into new productions he crafted for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Head+Concussion%22">Head Concussion</a> signees <a href="spotify:artist:6rgMAmoutpto9ded7xYd20">J Capri</a> and Konshens. Each year brought a steady clip of new appearances from Rvssian, with highlights including 2018's collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:1vyhD5VmyZ7KMfW5gqLgo5">J Balvin</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:329e4yvIujISKGKz1BZZbO">Farruko</a>, "Ponle," and his feature on <a href="spotify:artist:4obzFoKoKRHIphyHzJ35G3">Becky G</a>'s 2019's hit "Next To You." In 2019 Rvssian would produce a track on <a href="spotify:artist:4MCBfE4596Uoi2O4DtmEMz">Juice WRLD</a>'s third album Death Race for Love, as well as the <a href="spotify:artist:6vXTefBL93Dj5IqAWq6OTv">French Montana</a> song "Writing on the Wall," which featured cameos from <a href="spotify:artist:246dkjvS1zLTtiykXe5h60">Post Malone</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4kYSro6naA4h99UJvo89HB">Cardi B</a>. Before 2019 was over, Rvssian teamed up with <a href="spotify:artist:5LHRHt1k9lMyONurDHEdrp">Tyga</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0A0FS04o6zMoto8OKPsDwY">YG</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:7yGQgQiiKpg2k00JXf8hJk">Carlos Santana</a> for work on the song "Mamacita." The next few years saw Rvssian doing production work and guest features on new singles alongside <a href="spotify:artist:6jGMq4yGs7aQzuGsMgVgZR">Lil Tjay</a>, Anuel AA, <a href="spotify:artist:1OFOShsIbhy1l5x73yuVyB">Shenseea</a>, and many others. In 2021 he worked with <a href="spotify:artist:7bXgB6jMjp9ATFy66eO08Z">Chris Brown</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1mcTU81TzQhprhouKaTkpq">Rauw Alejandro</a> on the song "Nostalgico," which was streamed over 100 million times in a matter of months. Later that year Rvssian returned with rappers <a href="spotify:artist:1RyvyyTE3xzB2ZywiAwp0i">Future</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5f7VJjfbwm532GiveGC0ZK">Lil Baby</a> for the track "M&M." More singles followed, including 2022 collaborations with <a href="spotify:artist:23TFHmajVfBtlRx5MXqgoz">Sfera Ebbasta</a> "Italiano Anthem" and "Mamma Mia," 2023's "Sixteen" with old friend <a href="spotify:artist:2NUz5P42WqkxilbI8ocN76">Vybz Kartel</a> and rapper <a href="spotify:artist:6Xgp2XMz1fhVYe7i6yNAax">Trippie Redd</a>, and the 2024 smash hit "Santa," which was almost immediately streamed in the hundreds of millions. ~ TiVo Staff, Rovi